Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are rapidly becoming leading causes of morbidity and mortality in developing and transitional countries worldwide. Research is needed to identify the factors driving this dramatic change. This FIRCA application is linked to a parent grant funded by NHLBI, titled "Obesity Development and CVD Risk Factor Clustering in Filipino Women & Offspring" (HL085144). The parent grant focuses on determinants of weight trajectories over a 20 year period, and on how diet, physical activity and weight gain relate to blood pressure and biomarkers of CVD risk. The FIRCA application extends this research to examine the role of a wide range of psychosocial, environmental and behavioral factors that represent multiple dimensions of stress. Both projects use data from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS), an ongoing community based cohort study of Filipino mothers and their offspring born in 1983-84. Through this new research, we propose to strengthen the ongoing research collaboration between the Office of Population Studies Foundation (OPS) at the University of San Carlos in Cebu, Philippines and the University of North Carolina at Chapel and to develop a stronger chronic disease research focus and data analysis capacity at OPS. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This FIRCA application is linked to a parent grant funded by NHLBI, titled "Obesity Development and CVD Risk Factor Clustering in Filipino Women & Offspring" (HL085144, project period 08/01/06-07/31/10) that focuses on determinants of weight trajectories over a 20 year period, and on how diet, physical activity and weight gain relate to blood pressure and biomarkers of CVD risk. This FIRCA application extends our research to examine the role of a wide range of psychosocial, environmental and behavioral factors that represent multiple dimensions of stress, using data from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS), an ongoing community based cohort study of Filipino mothers and their offspring born in 1983-84. Through this new research, we propose to strengthen the ongoing research collaboration between the Office of Population Studies Foundation (OPS) at the University of San Carlos in Cebu, Philippines and the University of North Carolina at Chapel and to develop a stronger chronic disease research focus and data analysis capacity at OPS. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]